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Manual or Automatic for Offroading

kayakingt

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I'm just curious what everyone prefers for offroading (manual or automatic) and why?
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RockyMtnHigh

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I think the usual thinking is that automatics give you more control and consistency of the torque being applied. Right off the bat however, the manuals have a higher crawl ratio (84:1). In low gear, the manual rolls without even having to hit the gas in first gear. But in 4H, you have to feather the clutch to get going, which can wear it out. Personally, I have a manual because I think its more fun to drive all around
 

bumpit

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Gearing and transfer case will make a lot of difference in a manual in trying to crawl an obstacle in low gear. I went auto on my last 2 jeeps because it's just one less thing to worry about when I'm trying to focus on other things. I've always got manual mode with the auto when I dont want the jeep shifting.
 

OldBird

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Auto. Two hands on the wheel going over obstacles, and I'm usually a two-footed driver on challenging trails as well.

The gearing of a manual helps, but the last thing you want is to stall out when you're off camber next to a huge drop off.
 

Ravager

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Hard to eat a burrito and take selfies while trying to work a shifter deep in the Devil's Hottub. Auto all the way.
 

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Flip888

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The gearing of the manual does help, but you also have to take into account the torque multiplication ability of the torque converter. That helps make up any difference in gearing.
 
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Solidaxle

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Just like in street racing automatic for the win , crawl ratio is a non-issue with a Rubicon automatic. The new 8 speed auto has a low first gear add in the Rubicon transfer case with its super low crawl ratio combine that with the control of the automatic and it’s hard to beat.
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